Appalachian Power Storm Response Update #33
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024 – 7:15 p.m.
Situation
Appalachian Power is working to complete power restoration to approximately 3,050 customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Thousands of workers from across the United States have rebuilt the energy grid and restored power to 99% of the company’s 282,000 customers impacted last Friday. Crews continue to work in the hardest-hit areas of Glade Spring; Lebanon and Tazewell, Va.; and Bluefield, W.Va.
Outages & Damages
- Workers have found hundreds of miles of fallen wire to replace, nearly 2,000 poles to rebuild and 630 damaged transformers.
- Less than 200 unique locations across Southern Virginia and Southern West Virginia need repairs.
- Crews have restored power to 99%, or 278,950, customers since the peak of 282,000 on Friday.
- About 2,100 affected customers are in Virginia, and 950 are without service in West Virginia.
Storm Response Efforts
- Appalachian Power planned for outages from this storm by having all employees and business partners on alert and prepared to work.
- Thousands of employees and contractors remain dedicated to storm restoration work, including mutual assistance crews from 30 states as far as Nebraska.
- Crews are rebuilding the power grid in the hardest-hit areas, including Glade Spring; Lebanon and Tazewell, Va.; and Bluefield, W.Va.
Restoration Estimates
- If not restored tonight, all remaining impacted customers in the areas of Gate City; Glade Spring; Lebanon and Tazewell, Va.; and Bluefield, W.Va., will have power restored by 11 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 6.
- Customers are encouraged to view the company's outage map or sign up for outage alerts for information on their specific outage.
Weather
Weather remains favorable for rebuilding the energy grid and restoring power.
Safety Message
- High winds bring down power lines. Customers should treat all downed lines as live power lines and stay away from them. Never touch downed power lines or sparking equipment. Keep children and pets away from fallen wires and anything the lines may touch, and immediately call 911 and Appalachian Power at 1-800-956-4237.
- Be aware of scammers and remember that Appalachian Power will never request upfront payment or a reconnection fee in return for restoring your service.
- Follow all recommended precautions if using a personal generator. Never use a generator inside a home, garage, crawl space, other enclosed areas, or anywhere else where exhaust fumes can enter enclosed spaces. Never connect a generator to a home's circuits. Plug appliances directly into the generator.
- Find additional safety tips at AppalachianPower.com/Safety.
When to Call an Electrician
- Appalachian Power cannot connect power to a home or business if there is damage to the service entrance, which the customer owns.
- Customers need a qualified electrician to repair this damage before power can be restored. The service entrance includes the metal box housing Appalachian Power's meter, the "weatherhead" pipe on top of the meter box, the service entrance cables running from the weatherhead through the meter box to the inside panel box, and other related facilities. Similar responsibilities apply to "underground" service.
- After repairs are made, contact Appalachian Power to have power restored.
For More Information
Customers can subscribe to Appalachian Power outage alerts to receive specific information about outages affecting their accounts via text message and/or email. To sign up, please visit Appalachian Power alerts.
A snapshot of current outages is available anytime by visiting Appalachian Power's Outage Map.
Next Update: Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, 5 p.m.